


flowerpots, magnolias and tendou's experiment

by redrioting



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: ???? - Freeform, Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fic, i'm so sorry >PALOKDDFMsf, idk how to characterise characters so v ooc, its just after another practice sessions at shiratorizawa, its really just a drabble from a prompt, so after the karasuno v shiratorizawa match, there are plants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 21:33:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8912911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redrioting/pseuds/redrioting
Summary: in which tendou satori has a plan, a great experiment if you'd like to call it that, and Ushijima is a small (read; large) part of it.ORtendou wants to do an experiment and ushijima gets roped into it





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [merryfortune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryfortune/gifts).



> based off the prompt "Please stop petting the test subjects." from @merryfortune ! (i went overboard apokdslf) // unedited, be warned

The spikes of Tendou’s hair nearly blended in with the darkest magenta Hibiscus flowers that dotted and curled around the thick ropes of wire that Wakatoshi tied from one side of the room to the other. The only indication that the tops of Tendou’s hair was not part of the flower was how it swayed and followed the tune Tendou hummed, swaying from side to side as he watched some of the smallest buds. 

Wakatoshi wasn’t sure how any of this started, only that Tendou had ran and jumped onto his back after practice, a grin etched onto his face and dark eyes wide with interested glinting in them. Wakatoshi had his arms around Tendou’s waist, supporting him while Tendou wrapped his own around Wakatoshi’s neck, the edge of his mouth tilting to an almost smirk.

“Waka-chan~ always my hero in shining armour ready to catch me,” Tendou had drawled out, his voice hiding hints of mirth. “Unlike Eita-kun, the witch that wants to curse me and make my butt hurt when they didn’t catch me.”

Wakatoshi only responded by starting how it was knight rather than hero in shining armour and Tendou only laughed and slapped Wakatoshi’s shoulder, still refusing to be let down. 

“I have a plan,” Tendou suddenly leaned in closer to Wakatoshi’s ear and whispered, eyes darting from side to side. “A plan that only the strongest ace of Shiratoziawa can help with, so I need you to be a part of it.”

Wakatoshi only raised an eyebrow and nodded, Tendou’s smile widened and his eyebrows rose higher with satisfaction. He then pushed off Wakatoshi and put both his legs on the ground, only one arm thrown over Wakatoshi’s shoulders as Tendou tugged him to the showers.

“But before my grand master plan starts, you need to shower Waka-chan,” Tendou wrinkled his nose. “You smell.”

“As do you, Tendou.”

Tendou’s laughter had rang through the gym.

He wasn’t told about the specifics of Tendou’s plan, whenever he asked, Tendou waved his hand and replies with a “semantics Wakatoshi! Semantics only.”

He didn’t question Tendou after the third time, instead Wakatoshi went to fill in a water can and a large spray bottle to water the plants in his garden. Tendou’s humming grew louder by the minute until Tendou began singing the theme song from his favourite anime while he bounced around the flora that decorated the area in flashes of colours and patterns that could uplift spirits.

Wakatoshi and Tendou moved around one another in tandem, the quietness blanketed them in comfort with only brief moments of Tendou humming or singing taking away the silence.

Tendou left Wakatoshi to his own devices and instead sat on the ground, next to the path of Honeysuckle vines that peppered the floor, Tendou leaned back on his arms, head soon following until he could stare at the design of the domed glass that covered Wakatoshi’s small garden. He sighed when sunlight landed on his eyes and felt his lips twitch when Wakatoshi began talking to the plants as he watered them.

After several minutes of Tendou watching as the sunlight split up into a rainbow because of the glass, he stood up and brushed off his gym shorts before he moved towards his ‘experiment’. 

There was a table closest to the window with beams of sunlight streaming through, marks of age evident on it but clearly taken care of with Kanji and flower petals engraved onto the surface of the wood, Tendou could see Wakatsohi’s name among other words. _Power. Grace. Love. Happiness_. 

Tendou looked at the fifteen pale brown pots that dotted the table, filled to the brim with soil that has a lone white magonlia sapling within each pot. He was glad that Wakatoshi planted a large amount of magonlia flowers recently, his experiment would have taken longer if Wakatoshi’s love for plants didn’t help him. 

Tendou hummed a tune while he found paper tape and a sharpie, cutting even strips of the tape and writing names on each piece of tape before sticking it to the side of a particular pot. Once done Tendou grinned and pulled out a folded paper from his pocket, in it a list of the same names Tendou wrote on the tape was organised in a column, with a number to the side of it and a colour on the other side. 

Wakatoshi set down the watering can next to the table Tendou worked on, he pulled up a stool and set it next to Tendou’s before he sat down. Tendou made a noise of acknowledgement and pulled out the clips that were on the edge of his t-shirt, instead positioning them in his hair to both pull it away from his face and hold it down. 

The tufts of hair that now pointed to the back of Tendou’s head reminded Wakatoshi of Hibiscus petals once more, he raised the spray bottle in his left hand and sprayed the tips of Tendou’s hair. Tendou did pause but only to let out an amused huff until he turned to face Wakatoshi, took the spray bottle from his hand and spray Wakatoshi square in the face.

There was no movement for a while, nothing changed in Wakatoshi’s expression as Tendou burst into peals of laughter, hunched over his boyfriend’s knee and then gasping for breath every once in a while. Wakatoshi did shower Tendou with more water once he stopped laughing and the expression Tendou made has Wakatoshi fighting back a smile.

“Toshi, Toshi! My _knight_ in shining armour. How the fuck could you do that?” Tendou spluttered, fingers poked into Wakatoshi’s chest and his eyes softened; surprising Tendou more than he expected into a bigger mess. “You can’t just - Waka - _Toshi~.”_

Wakatoshi did chuckle in amusement while Tendou whined. It was more entertaining that Goshiki running around the gym like a puppy wanting attention - he got enough attention from his own partner and it was certain that Yamagata would always compliment the first year spitfire at Shiratorizawa. 

He pulled one of the pots Tendou tapped and tilted his head at the _SemiSemi_ written in Tendou’s neat handwriting, bursts of colour filled his mind at the thought of Semi, of greys and vibrant greens and muted blues and fierce purple among other colours. The colours that were Semi’s.

“So...,” Tendou whispered, eyes wide with interest. “What colours do you associate with Eita-kun?”

And so it began. Wakatoshi would pick up one of the plots, read the name out loud for Tendou and visualise all the colours he associated with each member of the Shiratoizawa volleyball club. Tendou noted everything Wakatoshi said until the last pot for coach Washijo that Wakatoshi paused. 

“Magenta and black,” Wakatoshi began before he tilted his head to the side slightly. “Orange and yellow as well.”

Tendou made a noise at the back of his throat and bobbed his head in response. “Good good, we’re done with the easy part, now for the experiment.”

Wakatoshi wasn’t sure whether the glint in Tendou’s eye was good or bad but agreed and organised a series of colourul inks on the table while Tendou moved the plants away, petting the small magnolia sapling that sprouted from Shirabu and Semi’s pots.

“Please stop petting the test subjects,” Tendou paused and gave Wakatoshi a look. “We need to continue the experiment, Tendou.”

Tendou made a comment and then the two worked, Wakatoshi methodically while Tendou mixed drops of colourful ink into different bottles at his own estimations, checking in with Wakatoshi on whether the colours fit what he saw.   
Once the two mixed in different concentrations of ink with water, Wakatoshi brought out pipettes and the two started the task of drizzling the four quarters of the soil per pot with a different colour of the four Wakatoshi designated for everyone on the team. 

The task took longer than the two expected, but Wakatoshi didn’t mind. Tendou made everything entertaining even when it was unintentional, with him leaning into Wakatoshi’s shoulder then laying his head in the space between his neck and shoulder; hair tickling the side of Wakatoshi’s neck as the two continued to work.

With a wide grin, Tendou clapped his hands and dusted off his hands. “Time to see how our little children turn out in a few weeks, huh ‘Toshi?” 

* * *

 

Satori ’s favourite magnolia pot was Semi’s, along with Ushijima’s and his own. The colours blended with one another perfectly, some of the magnolia flowers curled into different colours. Semi’s was a mismatch of galaxy in the smallest scale of each magnolia petal.

Ushijima’s was practically golden, as if molded from metal and curved with perfection and skills that belong to artists. Black spots littered one of the magnolia flowers while the lowest bud was the darkest mixture of green out of all the plants the two have ‘experimented’ on.

While Satori ’s own magnolia flower was the colour of fire, it resembled warm flames flickering in the air and ash from long burnt out embers. Bright shades of red, so rich in colour Satori almost though it was blood mixed in instead of ink. The colours bled into one another, from vibrant orange to muted yellow and different colours of red.

“Magnolia?” Ushijima had asked before they even started the process.

“Yeah, magnolia, it fits.”

It fits Satori’s love and amusement towards nature, however not the nature around them in the form of trees or animals or beings, but the nature of his teams mates and everyone on the team. The nature of Semi’s snark and quick temper, of Yamagata’s enthusiasm and often forgetfulness, of Shirabu’s pride with each perfect serve and set he made. Goshiki’s strong will and interest to be the future ace, it was more than he could imagine. 

The nature of his team mates, his own friends, was what he found to be the most precious thing (admittedly maybe after his favourite manga and Ushijima) and he enjoyed every moment he had with his teammates. 

So magnolia in pots painted like the Shiratorizawa uniform was what each person got the following day. Only Ushijima received the kisses and cuddles and promises of more odd rambles.

**Author's Note:**

> i attempted. idk how to characterise or how to grammer polkj


End file.
